Greenlawn Memorial Park

Many burial options

Founded in 1898 by the Gifford family, the 90-acre Greenlawn Memorial Park is among the largest cemeteries in southern Jefferson County. Our cemetery grounds features beautiful landscaping, mature trees, paved walkways, statues, and ample space, so you can comfortably honor the memory of your loved ones. We offer numerous burial options for families, including flat and upright markers, private family estates and entombment or inurnment in one of our 14 mausoleums. We also have memorialization options for those who choose cremation.

Building relationships

Whether you want a simple flat marker or an elaborate, custom-built private mausoleum, our caring team will guide you in selecting a final resting place that suits your wishes and meets your budget. We understand losing a loved one is a difficult experience and will help create a place where you can visit and reflect for years to come.

To better serve our families, we are affiliated with Grammier-Oberle Funeral Home in Port Arthur, Texas, and Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Beaumont, Texas. These partnerships allow our families to design a fitting funeral or memorial service that celebrates loved ones in a meaningful way.

Schedule a tour

As a locally managed cemetery park in Groves, we want each family to feel like they are a member of ours and receive compassionate care. Please contact us to learn about our burial options or to tour Greenlawn Memorial Park. We look forward to serving you as we have so many in our community.

History

Greenlawn Memorial Park in Groves, Texas, was developed by Charles E. Smith, a businessman who in 1898 started Crowell-Gifford Furniture store, which was the first store of its kind to sell hardware and caskets in Port Arthur. Named after Crowell, an investor, and Gifford, his mother’s maiden name, Smith expanded his business and purchased a 100-acre farm to develop a cemetery.

Our legacy begins

In 1889, Smith became the 2nd mayor of Port Arthur. In 1901, he sold the business to his cousin, Nick Gifford, who expanded the business to include a mortuary. Gifford recruited his brother, Gene, to join the business in 1907.

Family tradition

In 1918, Nick Gifford passed away and left Gene to run the furniture and cemetery business. Twenty years later, Gene sold the mortuary business to Joe Grammier to concentrate on the furniture and cemetery portions of the business. In 1945, Gifford asked his son-in-law, Mack Alden Pond, to help manage the furniture store as well as the cemetery, with a vision of making Greenlawn a beautiful and modern perpetual care cemetery in Texas.

Accommodating the community

In 1948, Gifford installed underground drainage and paved roads, which made Greenlawn Memorial Park the 1st of its kind in the state. Gifford passed away in 1965, leaving the family business to Mack, who ran the property until 1976. Paul G. Pond, Mack's son, took over as president of Greenlawn Memorial Park until we became a member of the Dignity Memorial® network in 1998.

Today, our cemetery in Groves is among the largest perpetual care cemeteries in southeast Texas. With its deep-rooted history, Greenlawn has approximately 90,000 burials located on 90 developed acres. As we continue to grow, we remain dedicated to families in our community and building lasting relationships with each family we serve.